This invention relates to devices ("screeds") for leveling freshly poured concrete.
After concrete has been poured into horizontal forms, it is conventional practice to smooth its surface in order to level it and remove surface imperfections. This may be done manually using a length of lumber drawn across the surface, or by the use of more sophisticated mechanical devices.
It is the general purpose of the present invention to provide a manually operated screed comprising a levelling bar having a pair of removable handles at its ends, and characterized by the following advantages:
(1) Easily stored and transported, since only the handles need be retained and carried from place to place.
(2) Easily and rapidly assembled and disassembled using a piece of 2.times.4 or 2.times.6 available at the work site.
(3) Easy and safe to use, since the workmen can stand while using it and use the handles as levers with which to manipulate it.
(4) Adaptable for secondary use as a barricade to protect the newly poured and smoothed concrete.
(5) Simply and inexpensively made.
The screed of my invention providing the foregoing and other advantages basically comprises a pair of handle assemblies and a leveling bar to the ends of which the handle assemblies are releasably attached.
Each handle assembly comprises a body, a first handle extending upwardly from the body, and a second handle extending laterally and outwardly from the body at a predetermined angle. Releasable attaching means, for example nail and socket attaching means, attach the handles to the respective ends of the bar.
In use, the operators grasp the handles and, while standing, work the bar across the surface of the soft concrete, using the handles to manipulate the bar as required to accomplish the desired finishing function. When the task has been completed, the handles may be removed from the bar and stored pending another use.